Dockside tracks

simond

Western Thunderer
On t’other channel, a question was posed about minimum radii, to which I responded, including a screenshot of part of the MDHB site on the Wallasey side of the Birkenhead docks. I then went Googling, as one does, and noted that bit by bit this aspect of our history is being ripped up or covered up. Indeed, it’s remarkable that it lasted as long as it did.

anyway, I have clipped a few more screenshots, some with radii marked on, before they’re gone forever. hopefully they’ll be useful to somebody.
9C5D4B8C-6CE3-47AC-B2F2-799237C9ECFB.png

Dundee, double track & quayside crane rails
16BDC6E7-6E6A-4E3A-87EC-B6FB6EF5BD51.png
Also Dundee. 2 foot radius in 7mm scale? “prototype for everything” department.

BD805244-E93C-4F20-B3EB-1521D9925478.png

MDHB, Wallasey. Radius of “U” measured as 125’, similar results for the “S” at the top of the image.
A3CED5FE-80AA-4598-A6BA-66AABEA1174C.png8D6C6E4D-080F-4EF4-9BCA-260CF8E9FA7E.png
Cammell Laird & Co. The Sir David Attenborough is just out of shot top right. Radius appears to be about 100’. Rather nice Barry Slip to the left. I spent a university summer holiday operating a lathe in the shed lower right.


97D8651E-5796-471C-BEA6-D192A14290CF.png
Same location, didn’t measure tis one.

I’m going to try to find an image I posted some time back (assuming it’s not lost in the RMW server issue) and add that too, as the original location has been ploughed up, which is, I guess, what sent me screenshotting…

I did have a look at Chatham, but not much is visible, unfortunately. If anyone has any other similar images/locations, please do add them.
 

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Good stuff, thanks.
I have a few copied images of tight industrial curves but not dockside - the tightest can be found in views of locos of the north west glass industry (home to Borrows well tanks, very short wb, very little overhang, for very obvious reasons).
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
I have used Google Earth measure on Moor Street to scale some of the existing buildings. In my working life Earth was a really useful tool for a geologist stuck in an office. Take a look at the Zagros Mountains in Iran, for example.
 

Barnaby

Western Thunderer
Glory B Lancastrian that is some pet project.
Lancastrian & Simon those last few post give a lot of great info though.

Thanks
 

Osgood

Western Thunderer
I'm sure I posted this partial view of Charlton Glass (origin unknown) either over here or over there but searches yield nothing - maybe worth dropping here just to indicate how tight you gan go, and no doubt there were a few dockside locations where similar curves existed:

Tight bends Charlton Glass.jpg
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Ah there’s a prototype solution for that:

I was thinking more of the 4 metre arms you’d need to do the coupling up…. And the periscope!
 

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
Some dockside and wharf branch lines did get very tight, the GER's Blackwall pepper warehouses branch got down to 180 ft. radius ( about 4'-0" in S7 ) but this was combined with a 1 in 30 gradient to get over a bridge so wagon numbers were limited and only 0-4-0 loco's with dumb buffers used.

Col.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Well, guys, if you know of such places, see what you can find on Google Earth or NLS (or anywhere else), and post ‘em up!
 

Phil O

Western Thunderer
What about Weymouth Harbour too? Most of that still exists - or did so when I went on my last fishing trip.

B

I was in Weymouth last September and a lot of it has gone under the Tarmac, there's a bit at the station end, near where it crossed the main road and a few bits and pieces at the harbour end and that looked like it might also be removed/ tarmacked over too.
 

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
Quite a few rails still around Sharpness Docks, Glos. None seem to be at silly radius curves, but some interesting reminders of what once was, all the same.
Screenshot (1).png

Hopefully this link might work. Google Maps
 

Longbow

Western Thunderer
What about Weymouth Harbour too?

After the easing of Ferry's corner in 1939, the tightest curve on the Weymouth Harbour line had a generous 400ft radius. And even before that the line accommodated six-coupled locos and main line coaches.
 

John57sharp

Western Thunderer
I drove past the Wallasey site yesterday and noted that the tearing up was going on, and some bright red cuboid homes being built nearby. Always liked the complex dockyard systems and I’m a big fan of Peter Johnson’s Canada Rd which captures an amalgam of these scenes from around the country rather well IMO.
John
 
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